Digimon Deviants
by A.J. Parker94
Summary: Four children, each considered outcasts and deviants where they're from, are whisked away to a wondrous land called the 'digital world.' Now, with the help of some strange yet amazing new friends that they make along the way, Marshall, Louise, Nigel, and Georgia need to find the courage and potential within themselves that they never knew they had if they ever want to get home.
1. MARSHALL: Brand New Reality

**A/N- Hey! Friendly writer A.J. Parker here! I know I technically should be working on my Sherlock fanfic, but recently I found this old thing lying around in my closet and dammit I wanted to share it!**

 **This story was actually part of my final exam in my high school creative writing class. My teacher liked it a lot, but she had no idea that it was actually a Digimon fanfic. *sneaky face*.**

 **So, after, rediscovering it, I decided to tweak it up a bit and expand on it. Plus, it's been too long since I've written anything Digimon related. It WAS my childhood, after all.**

 **This is gonna be fun!**

 **Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Toei Animation. I only own my own characters!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

I'm just going to put it out there now: Monsters are for real.

Don't fight me on this one. They are.

And I'm not talking about the ones that hide under your bed or your closet or anything of that sort. The ones I'm thinking of are the kind that roam throughout our computers, our entire network, almost like it was its own little world— or maybe not so little.

I know what you're thinking, "You mean like a virtual pet? A digital monster?"

My answer is yes, that's _exactly_ what I mean. Now, imagine you found out that they are not just data or a virtual being, but something beyond that; something that managed to become self-aware and create a life of its own; something more, well, _real_.

I know that sounds far-fetched, but don't worry if you're having trouble believing me at the moment, because to be honest, I never would have believed it myself up until just recently. Thinking back on it now, I almost wish I had never discovered it. Then I wouldn't have gotten into a huge mess of things, but you know how fate works: it doesn't take no for an answer.

Then again…I also wouldn't have gotten the chance to go on the most epic adventure of a lifetime, or made such amazing, lifelong friends.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I'm supposed to be giving an introduction, not rambling on about monsters and fate. Sorry about that.

My name is Marshall Cartwright. I'm thirteen years old and in the seventh grade. I used to be your basic, everyday boy with a big imagination— until certain events occurred, that is.

So, with your permission, I'd like to take you back to the day when the strangest, most extraordinary thing happened to me— the day when my life changed forever.

* * *

 _Oh, man. I am so late…again!_ I thought in despair as I bolted down the long corridors of Serenity Middle School, barely hanging onto my textbooks and papers for dear life. I was the only one in the empty hallways; everyone else was already in their classes where they were supposed to be, unlike me. Of all the times to space out, why did it always have to be during passing period?

I was nearly out of breath when I finally made it to my destination: the mathematics hallway. I ran toward the wooden door to room 113 and reached for the handle, hoping in vain that the teacher hadn't taken role call yet.

I yanked the door open, went inside the room, and shut the door behind me. For a brief moment, I stood there leaning back against the door with my head down, breathing heavily and clutching my school supplies against my chest.

Then, from deeper in the classroom, I heard someone clearing their throat impatiently. "Mr. Cartwright," said a strict voice, "How nice of you to finally join us."

A rumble of muffled laughter followed.

Swallowing hard, I slowly lifted my head up to face my math teacher, Mr. Lennox, who was looking at me with disapproval from the front of the room. The class of twenty-two other students was staring at me as well, most of them holding a hand over their mouths keep their snickering to a minimum.

"Young man, this is the third time this week you've been late for my class," said Mr. Lennox, "Are you _trying_ to get a detention? Is that it?"

Feeling my cheeks blush, I mumbled, "No, sir. I've just lost track of time."

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Well, then. The next time your birthday comes around, you can ask for a watch. Maybe then you can make it on time without letting your mind get away from you, yes?"

More giggles erupted from my classmates. Nothing more I could do than just stand there and take it.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," I stammered, my face practically burning in embarrassment at this point.

Thinking that he'd made a fool out of me long enough, Mr. Lennox ordered, "Now, go sit down."

I lowered my head and stalked down the rows of occupied desks. As I passed through, a few students whispered so that only I could hear, "Nice going, Cartwright," "What'd you do this time, go to the moon and back?" "What a freak."

Ignoring their mockery as best as I could, I continued down the narrow row and made it to my own seat, which was in the back corner of the room right next to the window. As soon as I sat down and opened my notebook, Mr. Lennox turned his back on us and started to write down the algebraic equations for the day on the chalkboard. "Now, pay close attention, class. This is going to be on your next test," he announced. This statement was rewarded with many groans from us students.

Sighing deeply, I turned my gaze away from the front of the room toward the window, which showed an amazing view of the town of Serenity, especially on a nice, sunny day like this. I rested my chin on my palm as I started to drift into my own thoughts. _Looks like it's going to be another one of those days._

"Mr. Cartwright!"

I was jolted out of my train of thought by the sharp voice, snapping my gaze away from the window. Mr. Lennox was glaring at me. Surprise, surprise.

"Get your head out of the clouds and take your notes! You're already on thin ice, don't push it any further!"

 _Gee, get your head out of the clouds. Never heard that one before. Give me a break,_ I thought. Grumbling under my breath, I lowered my eyes to my notebook and picked up my pencil. Luckily, the teacher didn't have any more snide remarks to throw my way, and he went back to writing on the board. Once his back was turned to me, I gazed up at the chalkboard, then back down at the blank page in my notebook. I began to copy down some of the writings while running a hand through my wildly curly brown hair with my free hand, but after only a little while, I started to drift off again. Soon I wasn't writing down math problems at all; I was doodling random pictures that appeared in my head while tugging at the front of my orange T-shirt out of habit.

That's the problem when you have attention-deficient-hyperactivity-disorder. You're not as focused on one thing for so long, no matter how hard you try. Don't get me wrong, I _want_ to learn. I _want_ to do well in class, but it's usually hard to keep my concentration in check. It's been a constant struggle for me for as long as I could remember.

 _Man, my life is so boring. I wish something exciting would happen,_ I thought absently as I continued to sketch. It definitely wasn't the first time I've wished for that. Actually, to be honest, I've wished it every single day. I've always dreamed of doing something great— of _being_ something great. People have always told me that I would never amount to anything if I kept goofing off, and didn't improve my grades and behavior. But that was hardly my fault. I just wish they could see that.

I wasn't sure how much time had gone by then, but after a while, when I was in the middle of drawing a T-Rex, I felt a vibration from my blue jean pocket. I pulled out my cell phone, which was shaking violently. Thank goodness I had turned the sound off before class.

I held it out in front of me, looking at it in confusion. Who in the world would be calling me during the school hours? It couldn't be my mother; she knew better.

I turned it on to find that it wasn't an incoming call, but a text message from somebody. I opened the message box and read it, only for my eyebrows to rise in puzzlement.

It said, ' **Are you ready to begin?** ' And underneath it were two choice boxes that read, ' **Yes'** and **'No.'**

 _What the heck? Who sent me this?_ I thought, confused. I checked for any identification of where the text came from, but it didn't show a name. It simply said, **Unknown.**

"Are you ready to begin?" I whispered to myself. "What does that mean? Begin what?"

"Marshall!"

Flinching in shock, I quickly hid my phone under my desk and looked up at Mr. Lennox.

"Is there something you want to share with the entire class?" he asked condescendingly.

"N-No, sir. Nothing at all," I replied, relieved that he didn't notice my phone. Mr. Lennox shook his head and went back to teaching.

I stared down at my phone and frowned. After thinking it over for a minute, I hit the delete button, erasing the message entirely. _Probably just some spam_ , I guessed. _No need to worry about it._

Throughout the rest of the day, I went about my usual business at school: got to class late, got chewed out by my teachers, tried to pay attention but failed, got chewed out by the teachers again, got made fun of by a few students, etc. It gets tiresome after a while, but I've grown used to it— trust me.

But for some reason, I couldn't help but think about that message I got during math class the whole day, and that maybe I shouldn't have deleted it. I didn't know why I was so concerned about it; it could've just been junk mail that someone sent me in order to get me to buy something, but it was like something was telling me that it wasn't. I wasn't so sure. It was like a nagging feeling in the back of my mind— that it was very important. All these questions about it swirled around my brain: Who sent the message? What did they mean by "begin"? What would've happened if I had said "yes" or "no"?

I was still asking myself these questions by the time school finally ended in the late afternoon. I grabbed my backpack from my locker and swung it over my shoulder, getting ready to leave. Then, from the top shelf of my locker, I took out my old pair of large, round aviator goggles. I smiled inwardly as I strapped them around my head, just above my bangs. I know, I know: terrible fashion statement. But I really like them. They keep some of my hair intact.

Not to mention, they used to be my father's.

"Nice goggles, Cartwright. You going deep sea diving?" I heard someone ask me from behind when I slammed my locker door shut.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _Oh, great._

"Hey, I'm talking to you," the voice persisted.

I turned around to face the person who had approached me. "Yeah, James, I heard you. And no, I'm not going swimming," I said in a monotone. James. Of all the people in the school, he was the one who would like to mess with me the most. I was pretty sure he only did because he thought he was funny, but he probably never realized how annoying he could be— no matter how many times I'd tell him.

James smirked, his icy blue eyes narrowing. "Well, don't wear them so tight…" then, before I could protest or even move out of the way, he grabbed my goggles and stretched them toward him, "…your head doesn't need to be more dense than it already is."

With that, he let go, sending my goggles flying back and smacking me right in the forehead. I backed up against my locker and groaned, gingerly rubbing the throbbing spot on my forehead. As I did so, James laughed loudly and walked away, leaving me there to wallow in my pain.

"Jerk," I growled, straightening my goggles to their original position. Once that was done, I stood tall and headed for the exit. No way was someone like James going to ruin my day. I couldn't wait to get out of the school and be outside, where blue skies and sunshine awaited.

But then I opened the double doors that led outside, I was not greeted with blue skies and sunshine at all. Instead, there were dark clouds and rough winds.

I winced and held a hand up to my face, trying to shield myself from the wind that roared all around me. Further outside, leaves blew off of thrashing trees, and telephone wires rattled. Other students were running frantically towards their parents' cars, the buses, or their own homes.

"This is weird," I said to myself. "Wasn't it really nice just earlier? The weatherman didn't say anything about a storm today."

Well, whether the storm was predicted or not, I still had to get home somehow. My hand still covering my face, I started trekking down the sidewalk toward my house, practically fighting against the wind. I slipped my goggles down over my brown eyes so that they were protected as I walked. _Ha! I'd like to see James make fun of me for my goggles now!_

After what felt like longer than it should have, I finally made it to the front lawn of my house, opening the front gate of the fence and hurrying for the door. My house wasn't a whole lot to look at; just a plain white, one-story house. It may not have a lot of room, but it was still home.

I quickly went inside, glad to be out of the wind and indoors before the storm could get any worse. "I'm home!" I called out. "Mom, you here?"

"Hi, honey! I'm in the living room!" my mother's voice answered from the other room.

I couldn't help but grin. My mother must've had a day off from work, which was usually very rare for her. I strode into the living room and saw my mother, tall and slender with long brown hair. She was sitting on the couch, looking up from a book that she was reading and smiling warmly at me in relief. "I'm so glad you made it home okay. I didn't know we were supposed to get a storm, and so quickly. Otherwise I would've picked you up myself."

"That's okay, Mom. I didn't mind walking," I reassured her, even though I personal did mind.

As I went over to sit down next to her, she said, "I made some cookies. They're on the coffee table."

I smiled gratefully as I reached for a chocolate chip cookie. My mother, Bonnie Cartwright, was the sweetest lady in the entire world. And I really mean that. You will never meet anyone nicer than her. Even after my father died over a year ago and she had to work two jobs so that we could get by, she never held it against anyone and never complained about how hard life was. She always tried to look on the bright side of things and keep everyone around her happy. She was that selfless.

My mother shifted in her spot on the couch until she was facing me completely. "So, how was school today?"

After swallowing what was left of my cookie, I answered hesitantly, "It was…okay, I guess."

Her smile faded, her green eyes looking at me in concern. "Were you having trouble again?"

I nodded solemnly, not saying a word. This wasn't the first time we've talked about this, but that wasn't why I was so bummed out at the moment. I was still thinking about the message that I got, but I didn't want my mom to worry about that either.

She sighed in a tired manner, before brightening her face again. "Well, just keep trying, honey. You're capable of more than you or anyone else thinks. You'll do better, I just know it."

I looked at her gravely. You see what I mean when I said that she was always thinking positively? It almost makes me guilty because I know that I am _not_ an easy kid to take care of. From my grades that rarely rose above a C-, to the daily phone calls from the school concerning me wasting time in class. Among my wish for excitement and greatness, I also wished that I could turn things around for her as well. Being a kid with ADHD can be tough, but being a single mother to one must be tougher.

My mother hugged me before I stood up. "Well, I'll be in my room if you need me, Mom," I told her as I turned and headed for the hallway.

"Make sure you get all of your homework done, Marshall," she said in a warning tone.

"I will," I replied. Yeah, she may be caring, but she still has a strict side.

From behind me, I could hear my mother get up and walk over to the window. "My goodness, it's getting worse out there," she said. "I'd better check the news to see how long it will last." She grabbed the remote and clicked the TV on, immediately getting the weather report.

I glanced back and peered through the window. She was right, it _was_ getting worse. The sky was becoming darker by the minute with black clouds, and the wind was so strong you'd think a tornado was brewing. How strange.

 _"_ _We've never seen the weather act like this, Barbara,"_ I heard a news anchor claim from the television. _"Wait a minute…this just in, we're getting several reports that not only is this raging storm happening here in Serenity, but also in other various parts all over the North America! Meteorologists are going frantic over this new development! What a phenomenon! What does this mean for our homes as well as our safety?"_

Strange, indeed…

I proceeded down the hallway and stepped into my bedroom. It was small, but that was mostly because I kept a lot of my things out and cluttered all over the place. My mom has been on me about cleaning it for the longest time, but I personally like it this way. I know where everything is, believe it or not. I think they call that organized chaos or something.

I dropped my backpack by the door and slumped down in my computer chair, rubbing my eyes in exhaustion from the long, stressful day. Then I spun around to face my computer desk and clicked on the mouse, bringing the old, hand-me-down monitor to life. Time to browse the internet.

The first thing that I did was check my email account. I went to my address and saw that I haven't gotten any new mail in my inbox.

I sighed. Nothing today, it seemed.

I was just about to exit out of the website— until suddenly, something popped up in my inbox.

 _"_ _You've got mail!"_ my computer announced.

I nearly jumped a foot in the air, startled out of my mind. After shaking it off, I looked at the tag. It said, " **From, Unknown. Subject: Adventure.** "

 _What in the world?_ I thought. I double-clicked on the tag and opened it to read the full message attached.

I read it over once— and felt my blood run ice cold. It was the exact same message that I had received earlier on my phone.

 **"** **Are you ready to begin?"**

"No way! Who keeps sending me this?!" I exclaimed.

I did nothing but stare at the screen for a long time, thinking it over. Then, finally coming to a conclusion, I looked around to make sure I wouldn't be distracted. I took a second to glimpse outside, which was looking even worse if possible. The sky was so dark, you'd think it was almost nighttime. Seriously, what is up with this weather?

I moved my gaze back to my computer. Then, taking a deep breath, I clicked, **Yes**.

As soon as I did so, the screen turned into white static, the speakers blaring out a strange noise.

"What the—!" I yelled, bolting up from my chair, causing it to fall over. _Oh, crap! I knew I should've just deleted it again! Now my computer's crashing!_

I frantically reached for the power button to shut the system down entirely, but right before I could press it, the static noise ceased. In its place, a voice, deep and serene, spoke through the speakers, "Marshall Cartwright."

I gasped and stepped away from the computer, which still only showed static. That voice, it knew who I was!

After a moment of hesitation, I said timidly, "Umm, yeah?"

"It is time, Marshal Cartwright. Your destiny is calling," the voice told me.

"Wait, what? My destiny? Who is this?" I demanded as I regather some of my courage and grabbed the sides of the screen.

The only answer the voice gave me was, "In time, everything will become clear, Marshall. But for now, it is time to go. The digital world awaits you."

That was when the strangest thing of all occurred. The screen started to act all crazy again. All the files from my documents popped open at the same time. Pictures, numbers, and random words zoomed across the screen. While that was going on, electrical surges pulsed all around the monitor and down the connected wires. The bedroom light flickered on and off. Outside, the wind roared louder than ever before, almost sounding like a freight train, as though it was responding to what was happening in my room.

I slowly backed away and watched in sheer terror. What was going on?

Suddenly, the screen exploded into a shining light, the blinding ray focused onto me. I squinted hard, lifting a hand over my eyes. As the light continued to fixate onto me, I began to feel strange, like a powerful surge was flowing through me. Time seemed to slow down. Then I felt my body lean forward, right towards the glowing computer screen. I couldn't control what my body was doing; it was like some force was dragging me, pulling me along.

It wasn't long until I was lifted off the floor completely, soaring straight for the computer screen, and I couldn't stop myself. I yelled as I closed in on the screen headfirst, waiting for the impact of crashing into it.

That wasn't what happened at all, though. I passed right through it, as if I were a ghost.

The next thing I knew, I was flying through a swirling vortex with zeroes and ones zooming all around me. I couldn't even look back. I screamed at the top of my lungs as I continued to plummet into God knows where I was going.

Then, from ahead of me, a flash of light emerged and surrounded me completely. I shut my eyes tight. And suddenly, I wasn't falling anymore. I was standing upright, my feet touching solid ground.

"Huh?" I said in confusion. I opened my eyes and looked down. I was standing in…green grass?

I moved my feet a little, relieved to see that I had full control of my body again. But I wasn't out of trouble just yet.

I lifted my head to see where I was, only to find that I was in the middle of a fog that engulfed the entire area. It wasn't too thick, though; I could see something in the distance, but I couldn't tell what.

"Where am I?" I wondered out loud.

Then, as if the fog had heard me, it started to become clearer. The fog was lifting steadily into a light mist, and then it was simply gone.

My mouth dropped open at the sight before me, my eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

I was standing on top of a large hill, and dropping off before me was a vast, grassy field with other rolling hills throughout the landscape. Further beyond was a wide, purple mountain range with snow on the very top of the peeks that reached for the blue sky above the clouds. The sun's warm rays beat down on me as a gentle breeze swayed my clothes, hair, and the grass below me. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

I didn't get to marvel at the land for much longer. A huge shadow swept over me. I looked up to see what it was, and my eyes got wider than ever before. I dragon was flying over me! It was gigantic, with orange scales and dark, tattered wings.

"Whoa!" I yelped when the dragon flew over me and continued to soar into the clouds. It must not have seen me— not that I minded, anyway.

That was when I realized that I wasn't alone at all. I gazed further into the countryside and spotted other creatures roaming the land. Most of the creatures looked like that of the kind that you see in old folk tales, hence the dragon from earlier. I saw a giant, orange, fiery bird flying low to the ground— a phoenix. There was a herd of white horses with their heads covered by helmets, along with a single horn. I even saw something that looked a big, blue T-Rex with an X on its stomach!

"What is this place?" I asked, staring at this brand new world with awe.

Then something violently shook in my pocket. Startled, I pulled out my cell phone. I almost forgot that I still had it. When I held it up to my face, the screen glowed bright. Then the voice from earlier on my computer spoke from it, "Welcome to the digital world, Marshall."

 _The digital world?_

I looked up from my phone and gazed out at the land and its inhabitants once more, totally mind-blown. I had no idea what this digital world was, what these creatures were, who the voice was, or how I was sent here.

One thing was for certain now: I was definitely going to be late for dinner.

* * *

 **A/N- First chapter finished! What did you think? Like it? Hate it? Gotta go to the bathroom? Well, go, man, go!**

 **Second chapter will be posted soon. Who will he meet along the way? Who will his Digimon partner be? Take a wild guess. I'm curious.**

 **Also, if anyone cares, I'm publishing this story on my devianart page as well. Link is in my profile account if you want to check it out!**


	2. MARSHALL: Never Had A Friend Like Me

**A/N- Chapter two, where Marshall gets an even more close encounter with the strange creatures. Some friendly, some...well, not.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my own characters. Digimon is owned by Toei Animation.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

You can probably imagine all of the anxiety, the fear, and above all: the confusion that I was going through right about now.

Let's do a quick review of all that's happened in the last few hours, shall we? I was just your average middle-school boy walking home from school in the middle of some freak-storm. Then suddenly, I got sucked into my computer and spirited away into a place far away from my home (I think), in which a mysterious voice from my phone claimed was called the "digital world," whatever that was.

Definitely not what you'd call a typical day, wouldn't you agree?

After the said voice told me where I was I gripped my phone and demanded, "Who is this?! And why did you bring me here?!"

But the strange voice didn't answer back this time. The screen started to turn blurry and a buzzing noise sounded out. I waited impatiently for something— _anything_ — but nothing came through my phone. The voice was long gone.

I growled in frustration and threw my phone down to the ground before beginning to pace angrily. What, suddenly the voice didn't want to talk anymore?

Soon I stopped and, taking a deep breath, I looked back down at my phone. Then I got an idea. I picked it up and started to dial my home phone number. I had to call my mom, see if she was all right and let her know where I was.

I punched in the last number and put the phone to my ear; however, instead of hearing the usual ring of the other line, that annoying buzzing sound continued to blare into my ear. I quickly took the phone away, more irritated than before. My hand shook, gripping it tight. But, after taking some breaths, I put my phone back in my pocket instead of throwing it to the ground a second time. It didn't need any more abuse— on the off chance I got an opportunity to use it.

"Well, now what?" I asked myself, not really expecting an answer. I gazed out into the countryside again, where a bunch of the strange creatures from earlier were still roaming free. I was still glad that I was on top of the hill, far away from them. I wasn't sure if they were hostile or not.

Then, for the first time, I turned around to see what was behind me. I stepped back in slight surprise. Towering before me was the biggest forest I have ever seen, with trees reaching for the sky and thick bushes. And right in front of me was an opening— a trail, just waiting to be blazed.

Coincidence? I think not.

I stared into the woods and contemplated for a minute. Should I go down the path and see what was in there, or stay her in the open and wait it out, knowing there were creatures just below where I was standing? It was a pretty tough choice. Then again, I might find my way back home through the forest, considering that just might be where I came from. Also, I'd rather not take my chances figuring out whether those creatures were dangerous or not.

It was decided then. With my back turned to the open land full of wondrous being, I started walking into the deep forest, unsure what would await me in there. But I would soon find out, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

* * *

I walked a good hundred feet before I felt like I was totally lost. When I turned around to check how far I'd gone, the opening I went through seemed to have disappeared. Now I was stranded in the woods, with no way to find my way back.

Yeah, maybe it wasn't such a bright idea to wander into a forest that I didn't even know anything about. That's me and my irrational thinking for you.

"Oh, perfect," I grumbled when I saw that I could no longer see the entrance. Then I turned to face the trail again and trudged on. There was no point in going back now. The only way was forward. I tried to see how far down the path went out of curiosity, but it seemed to go on forever. I didn't want to walk for _too_ long.

As I trekked deeper and deeper into the woods, I began to hear faint sounds coming from all around me. At first, I ignored it, but pretty soon, it started to get louder the longer I walked. I looked around to see if there were any animals nearby, but saw nothing. I raised in eyebrow in suspicion. Something weird was going on.

I continued onwards, but the noises just kept following me. My suspicion gradually morphed into anxiety every minute. It could've just been my mind playing tricks on me, but it all sounded so real. I hurried my pace, and the noises got louder. I broke into a run. It sounded like something was right on my heels.

Was I losing my mind?

Just as I thought I was going to crack, the bushes right next to me suddenly rustled violently. I yelped and jumped in surprise, making me stop abruptly. I backed away and watched as the bushes continued to move, as though something was trying to make its way out of it. I froze in place, bracing myself for whatever was coming.

Within a second, a large creature leaped out of the bushes fast. My jaw dropped when it revealed itself in front of me, not believing my eyes. It was a big, dinosaur-like creature— almost like a four-foot tall T-Rex. It had red, scaly skin with black markings here and there. It had three long, sharp claws on each of its hands as well as some sharp teeth that stuck out of its mouth, and a thick, strong tail. It had bat wing-like ears that perked up and down on the top of its head. On the center of its white stomach, there was black hazard symbol of some kind. The creature also had glowing, golden yellow eyes that looked right at me as it stood there, blocking my way.

It was a….I had no idea what it was. Some kind of dino-lizard thing? I've never seen or heard of anything like it.

For several long moments, both the creature and I just stood there, face to face, staring at each other and waiting to see what the other would do. I didn't dare make a move; I didn't know if it would attack me if I tried to run or not. It certainly had the claws and teeth to do the damage.

The dinosaur-like being tilted its head to the side and blinked at me in curiosity. It looked me up and down, observing me. What was it doing? Sizing me up for its next meal?

 _Oh, God…_ I thought in distress.

Then it started to walk toward me, not in aggression, but to get a closer look. I gulped anxiously when it was merely inches away from me. It leaned its head in and began to sniff me. I shivered when I felt its nose take in my scent from the bottoms of my feet all the way up to my head. Once it raised its head until it was level with my face, it stopped. I gazed into those yellow eyes, and it gazed back into mine, locking me in place. I was quite literally shaking in my sneakers, anticipating its next move.

Then it did something that I never expected it to do in a million years: Its mouth curved up into a smile, and it said, "Hi!"

 _"_ _Huh?!"_ was all that came out of my mouth. Did the dinosaur just talk to me?

The red-scaled creature continued to smile at me. It nudged me with its nose and said, "Hi!" once more. Its voice was like a low, masculine growl— which pretty much told me that it was male— but not in a threatening way. If anything, it sounded…playful.

I did nothing but stare at it— no, not it, _him_ — with a stunned expression for a few seconds. Then his smile faded as he gave me a look of concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"You…you can talk!" I exclaimed, finally regaining my speech.

The dinosaur stared in confusion. "Um, yeah, I guess I can. And you can too, you know."

I just couldn't believe it. I real, live, talking dinosaur was standing right in front of me. Before I knew it, was pacing back and forth again, running my hands through my hair as I began to ramble. "Oh, wow! This is just…oh, man! This is just unreal! A talking dinosaur!"

I won't go into detail of just how long I'd rambled on, as well as all the things I'd said. Let's just say that after a little while, I managed to calm myself down, taking a deep, cleansing breath. I looked back at the creature, who had been watching me the whole time with interest. He let out a low chuckle.

"You're kind of funny. What's your name?" he asked me.

"Umm…Marshall. Marshall Cartwright," I answered.

"Marshall…" the creature repeated, tapping a claw on his chin pensively. "That's a nice name. I've never heard it before."

I raised an eyebrow. "You haven't?"

"Nope! You're the first person I've ever met with that name."

Then, with no warning, the creature reached his claw out, grabbed my hand, and shook it. "I'm Guilmon! Nice to meet you!"

I quickly retracted my hand and rubbed it tenderly when he was done shaking it. His fierce grip had felt like it was almost tearing into my flesh, but I don't think _Guilmon_ meant any real harm.

"Your name is Guilmon?" I asked, trying out the name on my tongue. "What kind of a name is that?"

"It's my kind of name!" he replied happily.

"Oh, well, that makes sense…I guess."

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Guilmon kept on staring at me with that goofy smile, though. It was kind of starting to make me uncomfortable. That was when I realized how long I've been standing there talking to him.

"Hey, it was real nice meeting you and all, um, Guilmon, but…I have to get going," I told him.

Guilmon's smile vanished completely and was replaced with a look of sadness. "Awww, you're leaving so soon?" he whined.

"Um, yeah. I should— I should go," I stammered as I slowly made my way around Guilmon and back onto the pathway.

"Where are you going?" Guilmon asked, following my every move.

"I'm trying to find a way back home…if there _is_ one."

His ears perked up. "You are? Where do you live?"

"A place— very far from here, I think," I said uncertainly. The truth was I really didn't know how far I was from home. Maybe it was closer than I thought, maybe further.

Guilmon's eyes suddenly lit up like a flashlight. "Wow, really? That sounds like fun! Can I come with you? Maybe I can help you find it!"

"Uhh…" I struggled with giving an answer. A dinosaur that came to where I lived? That probably wouldn't go over very well, would it? I mean, he's a dinosaur! People go nuts over that kind of stuff, right? And there's another problem that I would be most concerned about: my mom. She never even let me keep goldfish, let alone a lizard that was almost my size.

"Pleeeaaassseee?" Guilmon drew out his plea, giving me the most innocent look I've ever seen a lizard make. For some reason, I found it extremely hard to say no to that face.

"If…if you want to, I suppose," I finally relented, rubbing the back of my neck.

Guilmon threw his claws up in the air with glee. "Yay! I get to go with Marshall!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, right. Just don't try to cause too much trouble, all right?" I said as I started to walk down the path again.

"Okay, I promise! This is going to be fun!" he assured me, running to catch up with me. I let out a small, tired groan. So, apparently, I had just unwillingly gained a companion…and he was a dinosaur. I wasn't sure if I'd just made the best decision of my life, or the absolute worst.

* * *

The best.

Considering the events that would soon follow shortly after my acquaintance with Guilmon, I've concluded that it was the best decision. Definitely the best.

Though, I don't know if I can say the same about his tendency to constantly talk and ask questions about my life story.

"So, where do you live again?" he asked— the first of many questions— as we walked along through the forest.

"It's a town called Serenity."

"Ser-en-i-tee?" he drew out the word, practically butchering it. "That's a funny name for a town…" he paused and thought for a moment before asking sheepishly, "Um...what's a town?"

I looked over at him. _Seriously?_

"An area or community. Basically, it's where a lot of people live in one place," I elaborated as simply as I could.

"Oh, I think I get it now. So where is this town that you're looking for?"

"Well, it's just a few miles off of Superior."

"Where's that?"

"Wisconsin."

"Where's that?"

"Um…the United States?"

"Where's that?"

"….Earth?"

Okay, that seemed to go a bit far into the specific details.

"Oh, okay," he said, though he still looked very confused. Then he asked, "So, how far is it from here to your town?"

"Well, that's the thing— I don't really know."

"Then why are we going this way?"

He had me there. "Well, I'm kind of just winging it, to be frank," I replied.

"Frank? I thought you said your name was Marshall."

I laughed, despite how silly it sounded. "It's just a figure of speech. It means to be honest."

"Oh, okay!" Guilmon said. "So, if you don't know how far it is to your home, then how did you end up here in the first place?"

"I don't really know that answer, either. You see, I kind of fell into this place."

Guilmon tilted his head. "Fell? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No. But it's still really weird. I was just sitting in my room, and next thing I know, I'm sucked through my computer and wind up here, where all these creatures are."

"Ohhh," Guilmon said. "What's a computer?"

I sighed. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Okay!"

He fell silent for a moment— a moment that I relished in. I just wasn't used to someone talking to me for so long, asking me so many questions. I took that moment to observe Guilmon curiously, thinking of all the questions he'd asked me so far. "Hey, um…Guilmon?" I said, still getting used to pronouncing his unique name.

"Yeah?"

"Have you lived in this part of the forest your whole life? Have you ever been anywhere else, or met other people?"

At that question, his pace slowed a little, and I had to slow down with him so that we were level. He blinked up at me. "Well, no, actually."

"What? Why not? Can't you go anywhere you want in this place?"

"But then I won't find who I'm waiting for."

I stopped. "Wait, what?"

He had stopped too, but not really because of me. His expression suddenly turned wistful, almost faraway. "I'm supposed to be waiting for someone. I've been waiting…ever since I could remember."

I stared at him, perplexed. "What do you mean? Waiting for who?"

"Don't know. Don't really know _when_ , either. I just know that someone is coming for me someday. And I need to be ready for them." He shook his head, seeming to snap out of his little daze. He turned to me with a smile, his enthusiasm returned. "But, in the meantime, I can help you get back home!"

For a moment, I said nothing, still thinking of what he'd said about waiting for someone. That was rather cryptic of him, wasn't it?

Coming out of my own thoughts, I told him, "You know, you don't have to come with me. If you're waiting for someone, you can go back."

Guilmon shook his head once more in disagreement. "It's no big deal. Besides, I don't like the thought of you wandering all by yourself. I want to make sure you get back safely."

I looked at him doubtfully. "Well, if you insist…"

Guilmon grinned.

We walked on. I used that time to take my turn in asking questions. "So, Guilmon, what are you, exactly? Some kind of lizard? A lost dinosaur?"

"I don't know what those things are, but I am a Guilmon," he replied.

I stared at him. "Are you saying that your name is also what you are?"

"Yep! Well, actually, that's what kind of Digimon I am."

 _There it is._

"Wait, wait, Digimon?" I inquired in confusion.

"Yeah, Digimon."

"What's a Digimon?"

"That's what I am."

I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "No, I mean what is a Digimon _specifically_?"

"Oh, that's what all the creatures here are called. It's short for 'digital monsters.'"

I mulled this over. Digimon? I've never heard of anything like that before— let alone where they usually lived.

"So you're saying you're not one?" Guilmon asked.

I turned back to him. "Huh?"

"A Digimon. You're not a Digimon?"

"Oh. Uh, no. I'm a human."

"Huu-mon?"

My lips twitched upwards. I realized then that he was as new to the concept of humans as I was to Digimon. I guess I shouldn't have judged.

"Close enough," I said finally.

Guilmon laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh too.

Guilmon looked like he was about to say something else, but then he stopped again. This time, though, it wasn't out of pensiveness. It was abrupt— like something had frozen him into place.

"Guilmon?" I said, stopping as well. I looked over at him to see what was the matter, and was surprised to see that his frame was all tensed up, his ears twitching. His head rose slightly only to sniff the air, as if trying to pick up a scent.

Whatever he smelled must not have been good, because merely a second later, his body hunched over, tensing up even more if possible. His yellow eyes narrowed, his round pupils shrinking into slits, making them look rather menacing as they glowered at something I couldn't see. From his throat reverberated a low, deep growl.

I stepped away from Guilmon, startled by his unexpected change in demeanor. "Guilmon?" I said again more tentatively.

He didn't seem to have heard me, because he kept on snarling and giving the death glare.

"Hey, what's wrong, Guil—?"

That was when I heard it; a deep buzzing sound, coming from somewhere. I looked around in confusion, trying to find what was making that noise, but found nothing. But the sound was getting closer and louder— so loud it was almost deafening.

"Guilmon?" I called nervously over the buzzing, but he was still assuming that killer stance.

And then…

 ** _CRASH!_**

I screamed as a gigantic, monstrous blur burst through the trees and brush near us, the force knocking me off my feet and sending me to the ground. Despite the pain from my now scraped knees and hands, I quickly shifted my body so that I was on my back, propped up on my elbows. I looked up and stared in horror at what was looming over me. It was a massive, green, insect-like monster; with large scythe-shaped blades on its arms, wide transparent wings on its back, and razor sharp teeth and pinchers.

It was the most terrifying thing I have ever seen, and what was even worse was that it was looking right back at me and snarling.

I quickly began to scoot back away from it, but then it charged at me, its mouth opening and its claws raised as it closed in on me. I gasped, bracing myself for the worst.

 _"_ _ROCK BREAKER!"_

Suddenly, Guilmon leaped in out of nowhere, his arm raised as he came at the monster. When he was close enough, he swiped his claw down with all his might against the monster's head, making it shrieked in pain as it reared back.

My eyes widened in shock as I watched Guilmon land perfectly on his feet in front of me, back in his defensive position.

"G-Guilmon?" I stammered.

He glanced back at me. "Are you okay, Marshall?"

"Y-Yeah, but…" I looked at the monster before us. "What is that thing?! Some kind of mutated praying mantis?!"

He glared back at the creature, who was recovering from the surprise attack. "No. It's Snimon. He's a real meanie."

 _Um, wouldn't meanie be putting it a little too lightly?_ I thought incredulously.

The monster, Snimon, straightened back to his full height and turned to us again, hissing vengefully. Guilmon growled in return.

"Uh, Guilmon?" I said anxiously as Snimon crouched down, preparing to attack again. "Shouldn't we run for it?"

Guilmon didn't answer, mostly because Snimon didn't give him time to, as he used that moment to pounce. Guilmon roared and launched himself at him. Snimon had his blades out in front of him, but Guilmon had his own claws. When they collided, they clashed together, deflecting each other away. They landed back on the ground only to charge at one another again.

Meanwhile, I was struggling to get back up. I winced from the pain in my hands as I pulled myself back up to my feet. I lifted my head back up in time to see Guilmon still in a heated fight with Snimon. I watched the scene in utter disbelief— not only because of the fact that there were monsters currently brawling right in front of me, but because the innocent-minded Guilmon that I've met earlier could fight, and pretty savagely too. Guilmon somehow managed to get on top of Snimon, and he bit down into his shoulder hard, literally tearing into him. Snimon screeched before he threw his whole weight back, hurling Guilmon off of him. Guilmon landed in a heap a few feet away, groaning.

Then Snimon turned back towards me and lunged. I yelled in fear and scrambled to get out of the way. Snimon brought his blade down and sliced it right into the ground where I had stood merely a second earlier. I was that close to being killed. Snimon snarled and retracted his blade, getting ready to come after me again.

"No! Leave him alone!" Guilmon shouted. He shot back up and flung himself back at Snimon, ramming headfirst right into him. Snimon was knocked away from me, but then he hissed at Guilmon and spread his wings out. The familiar buzzing noise droned out as Snimon took to the air. He went up about fifteen feet before he raised his blades in front of him in a cross-formation.

 _"_ _TWIN SICKLES!"_

His blades suddenly began to glow pink. He swung them out, and two pink, crescent beams shot out of them and rained down onto Guilmon. Two explosions erupted and dirt showered everywhere. Guilmon yelled in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Guilmon!" I shouted.

The dirt didn't even settle before Snimon swooped down and pressed his clawed foot into Guilmon's stomach, pinning him to the ground.

I stared in horror as Snimon pressed down even harder, causing Guilmon to groan, and put his blade up to Guilmon's throat. This was bad. This was very, very bad. I didn't know why, or when it hit me, but for some reason, I just couldn't bear watching Guilmon getting hurt, seeing him suffer. Guilmon…he was the reason I was still alive. He risked his life to save mine, even though he didn't know me for that long.

Whatever the reason, I felt that I had to help him, or at least do something.

I frantically looked around me for something I could use as a weapon or distraction against Snimon. Finally, I spotted one of the broken down branches that got torn down during the fight. That could work, and even better because one end was so torn to the point that it was as sharp as a knife or a sword. I hurried over and picked it up. Then I turned back to the two monsters and, without clearly thinking about it, I charged toward them.

I was closing in fast. Before I knew it, I was right behind Snimon. I drew the branch back and, while letting out a yell, I plunged the branch right into the small of his back.

Snimon instantly arched back and bellowed in agony, lifting his foot off of Guilmon in the process. Snimon's horrible, inhuman scream alone was enough to send chills down my spine, but nonetheless, I stood my ground. I quickly pulled the branch out of Snimon, earning another yell from him, and looked over at Guilmon to see if he was all right. He stared at me in surprise, as though he couldn't believe what I had done.

Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long. Snimon immediately recovered from the blow and spun around. He hissed angrily, barring his fangs as he glared down at me in fury. I couldn't move a muscle as Snimon raised his blades over me. This was it.

But there was Guilmon. He quickly got himself back up and leaped in between us, bashing Snimon away with a good swipe to the face.

"Time for you to go away now!" Guilmon growled, before opening his mouth wide. The inside of his mouth began to glow bright red.

 _"_ _PYRO SPHERE!"_

Suddenly, a hulking fireball shot out of Guilmon's mouth, rocketing right into Snimon's stomach area. Snimon shrieked and moaned as the blast launched him back hard and fast enough to smash through a good amount of trees until he crash-landed to the ground several feet away.

Guilmon and I held our breath in anticipation, ready for any more of the insect-like monster's attacks, but he was still screeching in pain even as he struggled to get up. He must've realized that fighting us wasn't worth it, and turned the other way and started to fly off. With his wings clipped and his injuries, he flew sloppily and unevenly.

We waited until the buzzing of his flapping was long gone and his shape was out of sight. It was deathly silent in the forest again. I released a long, relieved breath, glad that it was all over.

Guilmon turned to me, his goofy smile back on his face. "Hooray! We drove away the big bad bug!" He cheered, running up to me.

I blinked at him. "Well, when you say it like that, it's like we simply sprayed him with some raid."

"I don't know what that is, but yeah! We did it!"

In spite of myself, I let out a laugh. "Yeah, we did." I stared at Guilmon in amazement. "I had no idea you could fight like that, Guilmon. That was really cool. And thanks, you know, for saving me."

"Aww, it was nothing," Guilmon said, nuzzling his head against my arm. "But you saved me too, you know. So thank _you_."

I smiled down at him as I hesitantly lifted my other hand and rested it on his head. "You're welcome…buddy."

"You know, we make a pretty good team, you and me."

"Yeah…we really do," I said thoughtfully, stroking in between his ears.

But then our little moment was broken when my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, startling both me and Guilmon. I dug it out and held it up. Guilmon leaned forward to get a closer look. "Oooh, what's that?" he asked curiously.

I didn't get to answer, because right then, my entire phone began to glow so bright I had to squint.

"Whoa!" I said in disbelief as I watched my phone become shrouded in the light. But surprisingly, it wasn't hot or cold at all in my palm. It was still the same temperature.

Then the weirdest thing of all happened: Guilmon and I began to glow as well, only it was faint, the light a more reddish color surrounding us. What was happening?

Guilmon and I locked eyes with each other in bewilderment, and for a brief moment, I felt something. I didn't know exactly what, but it was like a strong, protective urge— almost like the feeling I had earlier when I saw Guilmon getting hurt. It felt warm…and good.

Guilmon merely blinked at me, almost like he was in some sort of daze. Did he feel it too?

I turned back to my phone…except it wasn't exactly my phone anymore. In the light, the phone was changing its shape and form until it didn't look anything like a phone in my hand anymore.

Eventually, the light all around us faded away until we were both back to normal. It took a little longer for the light in my hand to fade away, but when it did, we stared down at what was in my hand.

I was holding some kind of round, electronic device that had a square shaped screen on the upper half with some black around it, and below that were buttons and arrow keys. On the very top left of the device was a short, red, round-ended antenna. The body was white with red grips on the edges, as well as a red strap on the back.

I raised the device up to the level of my face, gazing at it in awe. "What is this?" I asked, mostly to myself. However, my question was answered when the screen shone bright.

"This is your digivice. Use it well," came the mysterious voice from the device. Then the screen went dark again.

"What?" I said, frowning down at the thing. "That voice again! First it takes me here, then it morphs my phone into a…a digivice? Why would it—?"

"It's you."

"Huh?"

I looked up and turned to face Guilmon, who was still staring at me with that dazed look. "It's you," he said again. A moment later, his eyes got huge as he grinned so wide, the tips of his mouth reached all the way up to his ears. He cried out in excitement and threw his arms around me into a hug. "It _is_ you! I knew it! I knew it!"

"Uh-uh-uh!" I stammered, having no idea what was going on. I tried to push Guilmon away a little due to him squeezing me too tightly. "Um, yeah, it's me….Wait, what am I, exactly?"

Guilmon let go, but his big, ecstatic grin remained. "You're the one I've been waiting for all this time! I knew it! I knew there was a reason I found you!"

I was so confused. "Waiting for _me_?" I said. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "At first, when we met, I wasn't. But now I am very sure! You're the one!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up," I held my hands up in a 'slow down there' gesture, "What makes you so sure, anyway?"

"It's that," he answered, pointing at the digivice in my hand. "All I know is that whenever that thing appears, I would know that I've found the person I was waiting for. And it's you!"

"But why this…whatever it is?" I held the device back up, examining it.

"It means that we're partners! Isn't it great?"

I was still very confused. "Partners?"

"Yep! It means we're gonna be together from now on!"

That…didn't exactly answer any of my questions. I kept moving my gaze from the digivice to Guilmon, extremely puzzled. In the end, I shook my now aching head. "Ugh, you know what? We can talk about this later."

Guilmon giggled. "Okay! Do you still want to keep going, try to find your home?"

I looked back the way we came, which was all torn up from the battle between Guilmon and Snimon. Then I turned to look ahead, which seemed clear and ready to be treaded.

"Yeah, I do," I replied. I turned to Guilmon with a smile. "The only way to move is forward right?"

"Well, you can move a lot of different ways, so—"

"It's just another expression, Guilmon," I said, laughing.

"Oh," he said, smiling back. "Okay! I'm with you all the way, then!"

And so, with that said and done, Guilmon and I ventured onwards. I strapped the digivice to my jeans; I had no idea what it was, but somehow it was connected to me and Guilmon, even though I didn't fully understand it. I also didn't know what lay ahead for me and my newest companion— whether it was more monsters to face like Snimon or not— but what I did know was that whatever challenge we faced, we would face them together.

* * *

 **A/N- You know, technically, this the third Digimon installment I've written with Guilmon in it as a partner. Why, you ask?**

 **I JUST FREAKING LOVE GUILMON OKAY?**

 **This was where I'd left off the story after I turned it in as my final project. Everything else from here on out will be fresh and new! Next chapter, Marshall will come across other children like him- three more, to be exact. And they each have their own story to tell.**


End file.
